This invention relates to protective gloves generally, and is more specifically related to a protective glove which can be used while exercising fine motor skills with the hand such as surgical procedures.
Gloves are used as protection for the hand in a variety of applications. Gloves may be made of a variety of materials, including textile materials, latex, rubber, plastic, vinyl, metal, or a combination of these materials.
Gloves, by their very nature, reduce mobility and sensitivity. The motor skills and dexterity of the wearer are reduced by the restrictive nature of the glove. The added barrier between the nerve endings of the hand, fingers, and thumb and the object being touched or held reduces the wearer's dexterity.
Gloves made of thin latex, or vinyl, are used in applications where fine motor skills are needed. A material such as latex has sufficient elasticity to contact the fingers, thumb and hand, as the joints in the hand, fingers and thumb are articulated, giving maximum flexibility. At the same time, the relatively thin latex material allows the wearer to sense, by touch, objects being held or touched for optimum performance of fine motor skills.
However, the elastic property of materials such as latex or vinyl must constantly be overcome by the muscles, resulting in fatigue to the wearer. The muscle groups located in the area of the hand are not particularly large or powerful, and become easily fatigued. While exercising motor skills over a long period, fatigue is increased by the resistance from the elastic nature of the latex or vinyl glove as the glove clings to the fingers, thumb and hand.
Articulation of the metacarpal bone, as it articulates relative to the trapezium where the thumb joins the hand, is a point of stress (and stretching) for a typical latex glove found in the prior art. Likewise, the phalangeal articulation of the joint of the forefinger results in stress as the forefinger is moved. These joints are particularly subject to fatigue since it is the thumb and forefinger which primarily grasp objects during operations requiring fine motor skills, such as surgery.
Surgical gloves as typically found in the prior art, are ambidextrous, that is, there is no differentiation between the palmar and dorsal regions. Accordingly, a glove may be worn on either the right or left hand, with proper fit achieved by the elastic nature of the glove. However, the elastic property which allows the glove to be ambidextrous serves to increase the stress from the elasticity which must be overcome by the user's muscles, thereby increasing fatigue associated with the use of the glove.